Alumni and Student Stories

More than 500 physicians, administrators, public health program directors, policy analysts, dentists, nurses, and other professionals have successfully completed the Executive Master's Program.

Our students are able to take their learning straight from the classroom into their current roles. They're able to learn and apply new skills and concepts to quickly transform their career and create efficiencies for their organizations. Hear how our students have transformed their careers in healthcare by earning an MHSA degree with Michigan Public Health...

Sarah McAllister is a physical therapist and recent graduate of the Executive Master's program. Watch this video to hear her story...


Jon Brueggeman is a hospital administrator, physician and recent graduate of the Executive Master's program. Watch this video to hear his story:

Alumni Testimonials

Sally Ann KraftSally Ann Kraft, ('83 MD, '06 MPH)
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Medical Director, Quality, Safety and Innovation
UW Health

I earned my MD from the University of Michigan in 1983 and spent the next 20 years in training and practicing pulmonary-critical care medicine. As the years passed, I was convinced that the condition of our health system was as seriously distraught as the critically ill patients for whom I provided care. In 2004, I entered the HMP Executive Program to gain the knowledge and skills required to understand the causes of ‘disease’ in our health systems and begin a new career dedicated to improving the delivery system. I currently serve as the medical director of Quality, Safety and Innovation at the University of Wisconsin. The Executive HMP program gave me the solid foundation required to engage in system level improvement work.


Kimberly LynchKimberly Lynch ('06 MPH)
Director
Regional Extension Center Programs
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Washington, D.C.

My time in the SPH Executive Master's Program was some of the most fulfilling, demanding, and thought-provoking of my career. I started the program while working as a health and human services advisor to then-Governor Jennifer Granholm. I was able to immediately apply concepts from classroom discussions to my work, and the faculty engaged with our cohort as colleagues, each with our own important contributions to make in the classroom. I remain connected to many classmates and SPH faculty today. Now I am lucky to engage with broader U-M community in Washington, D.C. I am always happy to meet another SPH alum working to transform our healthcare system for the better.


Dr. Seth WolkSeth Wolk ('83 MD, '10 MHSA)
President, Spectrum Health Medical Group
and System Chief Medical Officer, Spectrum Health
Grand Rapids, MI

Prior to matriculating in the 2008 HMP Executive Master's cohort, I was deeply involved in both clinical surgery and education of both medical students and surgical trainees. Although rewarding, I realized that I had growth opportunities in many areas: healthcare financing and policy, organizational psychology and behavior, managerial accounting, population health determinants, and health economics. An understanding of all these areas is required for one to lead change to improve healthcare delivery. Ultimately, I now find myself in a position where I can participate in the challenges of creating the governance, accounting mechanisms, and the coordinated processes of care that will motivate and reward providers to create value for patients rather than for volume and intensity of services.

I was fortunate to have faculty and classmates that encouraged both my professional and personal development. The program is not intended for those who are merely trying to “check a box” to enable career advancement. Rather, it's ideally suited for those who are genuinely intellectually curious and serious about leading change in healthcare.